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FRANCIS CREEK – Bruce Kornely grew up on a dairy cow farm in the town of Manitowoc and always knew he wanted animals around. But he, a business supervisor, never imagined that to be a farm with more than 100 goats.

“It just sort of happened,” Kornely said, who has run Stardom Farm, 8019 Arrow Road, with his wife, Pat, since 1975.

The couple bought two goats for their daughter, Annette, to show in the Manitowoc County Fairafter she expressed disinterest in horses. Even after Annette went to college, the couple kept adding to their goat collection while continuing to work full time at jobs off of the farm.

“We worked from five in the morning until 10 at night on those days,” Pat recounted.

The two built their house and eight of the farm’s buildings themselves. Their work ethic is seen in how they choose to spend their retirement days: putting in six to seven hours of work each day to raise their goats.

A growing industry

Their farm is much smaller now — from 109 goats to only 30 — not large enough to ship the milk to a processing plant for a profit. Instead, the Kornelys developed good stock, show at the county fairand maintain a breeding business. Most of their buyers are in state commercial farmers, but they assist several families looking for a pet or 4-H project.

Pat said they tried pursuing goat farming full time but milk trucks did not travel to the Manitowoc area. She guesses they could make a living now because popularity for goat cheese and milk has risen dramatically since then.

Goat milk is more easily accepted by the human digestive system because of its softer and smaller curd, according to the Kornelys. Further, consumers with a dairy intolerance may tolerate goat’s milk.

While the dairy goat industry is still in its infancy, Wisconsin has the largest number of milk goats in the nation. In 2009, 40,000 goats resided in Wisconsin. By 2013, this number grew to 46,000, according to a Wisconsin Dairy Goat Industry Overview provided by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Though it takes seven to 10 goats to produce as much milk as one cow, goats require less space than cows, eat less and produce less manure, according to the USDA. In many ways, goats are more manageable than cows because they weigh 100 to 150 pounds compared to a cow’s hefty 1,000 to 1,500 pounds.

“But it’s a lot more work than people think it would be,” Bruce interjected. “It’s a lot more hands-on than cattle.”

Raising a family

Baby goats, called kids, must be bottle-fed four times a day when first born. Gradually, this practice is reduced to twice a day for the first eight weeks.

“I always tell people I have 14 kids to feed at home,” Pat said with a laugh. “Then I explain who my kids are.”

And parents always have their favorites, though the Kornelys don’t get too attached — it’s a business.

Despite this, each goat has a name for however long they remain on the farm. Pat has a baby book she peruses for inspiration and keeps a running list of ones she likes. She said she enjoys stumbling upon the perfect name to capture a goat’s personality.

Stardom Farms houses two breeds of goats, each with distinct character traits. The Toggenburg goats are more quiet and laid-back as opposed to the Nubians, the demanding divas of the bunch.

Owning a goat farm

Other recommendations for starting a goat farm: buy at least two because goats are herd animals. Be prepared to spend about half an hour each day to milk, feed and tend to a two-goat pen.

Expect to pay between $100 and $500 for each animal and about $30 each month on feed. This cost will buy you 10 to 12 years of goat’s milk.

What one does with the milk is up to the owner. The Kornelys use it for their personal cooking and baking needs. Chris Kocourek, who operates Floppy Ear Farm in Reedsville, produces soaps and lotions from the milk, which she then sells at farmers markets in Green Bay and Sheboygan.

Both the Kornelys and Kocourek will be speaking on Saturday from 10:15 a.m. to noon at Lester Public Library, 1001 Adams St., Two Rivers. As part of the Sustainable Saturday adult program, a live milking demonstration will be included as well as a presentation on how to start a goat farm.